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The journey home with uncle mike was quiet. He would look at me briefly and face the road again. I did not know his reason for that but the thought of how i pushed him before escaping from the house made me scared. Probably he was stil nursing his a-s and the pain i caused him was the reason for his wicked glance. A part of me was saying him and his wife had turn a new leaf but i laughed the thought off.
We got to my compound and i alighted immediately uncle mike parked the car. I brought out my provision and went to my room. Uncle mike turned the car around and left immediately he dropped me off, aunty Nike was absent from home as well. I was happy to be free from all the monitoring eyes. I went to Lizzy’s room and she jumped at me immediately she saw me. She told me how worried she was and asked how i ended up at the hospital. I took a deep breathe and narrated all the event that took place before my accident to lizzy. She came closer to me and held me tightly. I was stil in lizzy’s arms when i remembered Kelvin, i knew he would be worried about me. ‘Before the accident,he calls me everyday and its been more than a week now, definately he will be worried’ i thought in lizzy arm.
I released myself from lizzy’s grip and told her i needed to get my phone before leaving her room. I could remember keeping my phone in the bag i took to church that sunday, so i went for the bag immediately. I searched the whole bag and could not find my phone. I searched the whole room and still the phone was yet to be found. I started to sweat, i was not scared of loosing the phone, but i was scared of loosing kelvin’s contact if i could not get my phone. That was the only place i saved his contact on and i did not even know where he lives. Even if i do,he was out of town. I was so confused after searching my entire room over and over again without finding the phone.
I went to ask lizzy if she took the phone but she said no and followed me to my room to search again. She also searched everywhere without any luck. We were stil searching when lizzy did as if she just remembered something and she said “Nancy, wait, i think my mom took the phone. I caught her searching your room the day you left. You should probably ask her when she gets back.” I did not know what to say when Lizzy ended her speech. ‘If aunty nike has the phone, she definately will not give it back for anything. She can only give it back if she has genuinely turn a new leaf but the chance of that happening is very slim. I will be loosing kelvin if i do not get the phone back’ i thought. The thought of loosing kelvin almost gave me a heart attack. How will i survive without kelvin? He was always there to encourage and advice me, his words of encouragement gave me the hope of having a future. Noo i cant let go just like that,i will do anything to get the phone back. Just for kelvin’s sake, i can slave for another year. I said to myself. Lizzy tap on my shoulder brought me out of my thought, she asked if i was worried because of the phone and promised to get me a new phone. I told her it was not about the phone but kelvin’s contact. Lizzy did not really understand the importance of the contact but she concluded that i should wait for aunty nike.
Aunty nike arrived late in the evening and i rushed downstairs. I got the sigh that she was stil her wicked self from the way she looked at me but i was stil hoping she would release the phone. I greeted aunty nike and made to help her with her hand bag, she hesitated before giving the bag to me but she eventually did. I took the bag to her room while she followed closely from behind. After dropping the bag on the bed, i turned to her and said “Aunty,please i have been unable to find my phone did you by any chance find it for me?” she looked at me and said No coldly. I knew she was lieing but i was determined to get the phone from her,i went on my kneels and begged her. I was stil on my kneels begging when she shouted “Are you stupid? Am i your phone keeper? Dont let me loose my temper on you, your presence is irritating enough. I wonder what you have been doing with that phone and i took it, so what? You can go to hell for all i care because, the phone has been neatly destroyed along with the sim card. Now get out of my room, you idiot!” That was it! My phone was gone along side with kelvin’s contact. I moved out of her room with tears and i thought about the number of people i lost already. Dad died, mom died, Jordan chose to betray me along side with nelly and now i cant reach kelvin,the only person that as been my comforter. “Kelvin wherever you are, please come back to me, you are the only friend i have left. You promised to stay forever, please get through to me soon in anyway you can” i said.I was talking to the walls of my room as if kelvin was present, I was so lost on what to do or who to talk to. At that moment all i wanted was KELVIN (MY TRUE FRIEND)
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After loosing my phone to aunty nike, i was unable to contact kelvin and not having someone to talk to made me withdraw myself back into my shell.
On a Saturday afternoon, of the third week of been discharged. Lizzy took permission from her mom and asked me to see her off to somewhere. We got to fonemart and suprisingly she got a new phone for me after which we retrieved my damaged sim card. Lizzy told me not to worry and she promised to be there for me,she also assured me that kelvin would call soon. I believed in lizzy’s word and i became lively again, hoping kelvin would call soon just like lizzy said. I thanked lizzy repeatedly and she hugged me tightly before we went back home.
The remaining weekend went uneventful but a life changing event occurred on the first day of the new week, it was an unforgettable incident.
Aunty Nike woke me up early in the morning on that very monday, she said are goods would be arriving on that day and she needed to be there on time. Without having breakfast, we left the house for the supermarket. Immediately we got to the supermarket, aunty nike ordered me to sweep the entire store after which i went to get her food on foot at a resturant far away from the supermarket. On my arrival from getting the food, the goods aunty nike was expecting arrived and she asked me to join in off loading the goods immediately, with an empty stomach, i obeyed her. After off loading the goods, I went to inform aunty nike that i was hungry but she shouted at me and called me useless before saying i should arrange all of the goods alone in the store. I arranged the goods with my last strength, hoping i would eat after arranging the goods but aunty nike said i should dust the whole good and place a price tag on each of them. I could not take it any longer, even though i promised to abide by her rules, i had to disobey her else i would die.
I left the shop against aunty nike’s order and went to eat in a nearby canteen. I arrived twenty minutes later and met a furious aunty nike. I knelt to greet her but she reaponded with a double slap on the both of my cheek. My eyes turned red and i staggered. I was yet to gain my balance when aunty nike shouted at me, saying ” You this idiot, i told you to arrange my goods, do you know how much they worth? They worth more than your yet to come generation and you have the guts to abandon my goods in a bid to satisfy for hungry stomach. I will not deal with you here, you will meet your death at home. Now get up and do what i asked you to do!” aunty nike ended her ranting and i was so scared of what awaits me at home, that day. I rushed to the store room and with tears, i arranged the goods.
I left shop with aunty nike by 6:30pm with mixed feelings, i was hoping aunty nike would forget her threat if i should do the house work on time. Immediately i got down from the car, i went to the kitchen and washed the dirty dishes, though i was hungry, i did not eat before doing all the work. As if aunty nike was watching me, she called me immediately i got to my room after working for more than an hour.
I got to aunty nike’s room and she was laying on her bed. She asked me to go on my kneels and i did, then she said ” you think i have forgotten right? You disobey me in public and i am going to deal with you indoor. I have two punishment for you. It is either you allow me to cut any part of you body and i will apply pepper on it or i will iron any part of your body smoothly with this hot iron” aunty nike ended her speech but it was hard for me to believe she was serious, how could she be so mean? I asked myself. “Young lady i do not have the whole day! Make a pick or i will administer anyone on you!” aunty Nike’s voice brought me back to reality. Accepting other brutal treatment was something i could handle but when it comes to messing with my body, that is something i can never take. I started to cry, i was alone with aunty nike without help. I wished mom was here or kelvin or even lizzy or aunty oyinkan, but nobody was there, i was left with a difficult decision to take.
I had to think about the least painful of the two purnishment but i found no answer. Aunty nike was about to abuse my body and i had no other choice than to accept, or do i? I asked myself and finally i decided to accept one of it.
I was about accepting the iron deal when the spirit of a fighter in me arouse. No! I cannot take this anymore i screamed! Aunty nike stood up with shook written all over her face. She asked me to repeat what i said and i did. She made to slap me and i showed her the DEVIL in me.
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Aunty nike made to slap me but i held her hand, i stood up to my full length and i was taller than her. I looked down on her and fixed my gaze on her before releasing my grip on her hand. Aunty nike raised her hand to slap me again and this time around, i held her hand half way and landed a hot slap on her left cheek. Aunty nike staggered and fell on the table. I fold my hands and waited for her next action. Immediately she regained her balance, she rushed at me, i pushed her to the bed and sat on her. I started to punch her all over her body after sitting on her. While giving her the beating of her life, i started to scream on top of my voice ” Nike how can you be so wicked? Tell me! You want to iron my body? In my father’s house! All this is suppose to be mine! The house! The car you are ridding! The supermarket! The hotel your husband is spending from! All the jewelry mama left behind! All the wealth and properties are all mine! My parent worked for it, for me to have it all but you took everything away. All the good things i ever had, you took them all! My mom! My hapiness! Even kelvin! Its all your fault and now! Now you want to abuse my body! How can you be so mean? So wicked? I want you to die and rot in hell! Die nike!” i said as i continued to punch her. I could hear her scream for help but the merciful me was gone. This was the seed she planted in me, it germinated and she had to reap the fruit.
I stood up from her stomach and rushed to her wardrobe. I saw all my mom’s clothes and expensive jewelry she claimed she burn. I packed my mom’s personal belonging and rushed to my room. I took my traveling bag and filled it with my clothes and all the important things i have. The bag was full so i had to pack my mom’s belongings into the bag Josh got for me. I looked around my room and i was satisfied with all i have packed. I dragged the bags to the living and made to leave. ‘This devil in human clothing is making me to leave my father house, i must deal with her before i finally leave’ i said to myself. I dropped the bags and rushed upstairs. I met aunty nike sitting on the bare floor, with her present condition the formal me would have pitied her but pity died in me a long time ago. I pulled her with her hair and landed two hot slap on her cheek before i rushed to the kitchen to get a rope. She started to plead immediately i returned with the rope but my ears were deaf to her plea. I dragged her to the bed and started to tie her while she shouted for help. I was stil tieing her when i heard someone shout “Nancy” behind me. I turned and i saw lizzy. I became ashamed of myself,even though aunty nike was wicked toward me, lizzy was there for me and beating her mom and tieing her down was no way to reciprocate her kindness. The rope fell from my hand and i ran out of the room in tears. I could not leave without apologizing to lizzy, so i went back to her and said “I am sorry lizzy. Goodbye” lizzy was in tears and she could not give a response. I ran out of the room and got my bags. I dragged the bags outside the house and i took a last look at our mansion. The house i once called a home. With tears i left my father’s house.
To be continued..
